Tile pushing device, tile feeding mechanism and mahjong machine

Abstract

The application provides a tile pushing device, a tile feeding mechanism and a mahjong machine. The tile pushing device comprises a tile pushing rotating seat, a tile pushing arm and a tile pushing sensing assembly. The tile pushing sensing assembly comprises a tile pushing sensing piece arranged on the tile pushing rotating seat, and a first tile pushing sensor and a second tile pushing sensor arranged below the tile pushing rotating seat. The two sensors are arranged at a tile stacking entrance waiting position in front of a tile slot tile feeding port and a tile lifting entrance sensing position in front of a tile outlet respectively. Therefore, the current position state of the tile pushing head can be accurately judged according to the sensing signal, and the tile pushing motor is controlled according to the sensing signal, so that the tile pushing head can wait outside the tile feeding port when the tile stacking device stacks tiles, and does not interfere with the tile stacking device. The tile pushing head can wait at the tile outlet after pushing multiple piles of tiles to the tile lifting device, does not interfere with the tile lifting device, and can also avoid the piles of tiles on the tile lifting device from sliding down and causing the number of tiles on the table to be insufficient.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of mahjong game equipment, and relates to mahjong machines, and more particularly to a tile-pushing device for pushing mahjong tiles from inside the mahjong machine to its tabletop, as well as a tile-loading mechanism containing the tile-pushing device and a mahjong machine. Background Technology

[0002] A mahjong machine is a device that eliminates the need for users to shuffle and arrange the tiles, making it convenient for them to play the game. It typically includes a shuffling mechanism for shuffling the mahjong tiles, a tile-laying mechanism for stacking the shuffled tiles and placing them on the table for use, a control panel for users to input operation commands, and a table frame for overall support.

[0003] The card-dealing mechanism needs to be set up separately for each user. For example, a typical mahjong machine is used by four users, so four sets of card-dealing mechanisms need to be set up accordingly. Each set of card-dealing mechanisms also needs to perform functions such as stacking, storing, pushing, and raising cards. The table size should not be too large. Therefore, the layout space of the card-dealing mechanism is relatively limited, and the structural design needs to be very compact.

[0004] In some existing technologies, the card-dispensing mechanism includes an annular card slot for temporarily storing card stacks and a card-pushing device for pushing the card stacks in the card slot to the card-dispensing opening. For example, CN111991798A discloses a fully automatic mahjong machine, in which the card-pushing device includes a drive motor, a card-pushing gear (card-dragging gear), a driven gear, and a telescopic arm. The drive motor drives the card-pushing gear and the driven gear to rotate, which in turn drives the telescopic arm to rotate. The front end of the telescopic arm moves in the card slot to push the cards. In this structure, the telescopic arm relies on intermittent motor drive to achieve circumferential rotation. The current state of the telescopic arm and motor, the specific position of the front end of the telescopic arm pushing the cards, and whether it will interfere with other components in the card-adding mechanism are all difficult to determine. Therefore, the entire card-pushing action cannot provide accurate feedback information, which is not conducive to the accurate control of the card-pushing action and the precise coordination between the card-pushing action and other actions such as stacking and adding cards. It is possible that the telescopic arm will interfere with the card-stacking device at the card slot inlet, resulting in insufficient stacking of cards, or that the telescopic arm will not coordinate well with the card-lifting device, resulting in some mahjong cards not being lifted to the table and remaining in the card slot. In other words, it is impossible to achieve precise automated control of the card-pushing action, thus affecting the game.

[0005] In particular, if a user wishes to use different card-dealing modes, such as dealing cards all at once or dealing the starting hand and the cards to be drawn separately, the card-pushing action needs to be performed at the appropriate time according to the different modes. The card-pushing action must be started and stopped at precise moments and coordinated more accurately with other mechanisms to avoid interference. Existing card-pushing devices lack a feedback mechanism, therefore they cannot properly set the timing of the card-pushing action, nor can they set the coordination of other mechanisms based on the current card-pushing state; that is, they cannot achieve the aforementioned different card-dealing modes. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides a card-pushing device capable of providing feedback on the card-pushing action and the card-pushing mechanism, as well as a card-feeding mechanism and a mahjong machine incorporating the card-pushing device.

[0007] Specifically, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] This invention provides a card-pushing device, installed in the card-feeding mechanism of a mahjong machine, for pushing the temporarily stored card stacks in the card slot of the card-feeding mechanism. The card-feeding mechanism also includes a card-stacking device located at the card inlet of the card slot and a card-lifting device located near the card outlet of the card slot. The card-pushing device has the following technical features: it includes a card-pushing motor, a card-pushing rotating base and a card-pushing arm that rotate synchronously under the drive of the card-pushing motor, a card-pushing sensing component, and a card-pushing control unit. One end of the card-pushing arm is a card-pushing head for pushing cards in the card slot. The card-pushing sensing component includes a card-pushing sensing part located on the card-pushing rotating base and a corresponding sensing part located on the card-pushing rotating base. The device includes a first card pusher sensor and a second card pusher sensor located below the drive seat. The first card pusher sensor corresponds to a predetermined card stacking entrance waiting position in front of the card inlet, and the second card pusher sensor corresponds to a predetermined card lifting entrance waiting position in front of the card outlet. The card pusher control unit is connected to the card pusher motor, the first card pusher sensor, and the second card pusher sensor. The control unit determines whether the card pusher head has reached the card stacking entrance waiting position based on the sensing signal corresponding to the first card pusher sensor, and determines whether the card pusher head has reached the card lifting entrance waiting position based on the sensing signal corresponding to the second card pusher sensor. The control unit then controls the card pusher motor based on the determination results.

[0009] The card-pushing device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features: when the first card-pushing sensor senses the card-pushing sensing part, it generates a first card-pushing position sensing signal; when the second card-pushing sensor senses the card-pushing sensing part, it generates a second card-pushing position sensing signal; and when the card-pushing control unit receives the first card-pushing position sensing signal or the second card-pushing position sensing signal, it controls the card-pushing motor to stop, thereby stopping the card-pushing head at the card-stacking entrance waiting position or the card-lifting entrance waiting position.

[0010] The card-pushing device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features: the card-pushing sensing component further includes a card-storage sensor, which is disposed at the card-dispensing port. When the card-storage sensor senses the first stack of mahjong tiles, it generates a stop-card sensing signal. When the card-pushing control unit receives the stop-card sensing signal, it controls the card-pushing motor to stop so as to wait for the card-raising device to operate.

[0011] The card-pushing device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features: the device further includes a card-pushing main gear, which is disposed at the output end of the card-pushing motor, wherein a card-pushing driven gear is formed at the lower part of the card-pushing rotating seat and meshes with the card-pushing main gear; a sensing part mounting hole is provided on one side edge of the card-pushing rotating seat; the card-pushing sensing part is a magnet and is disposed in the sensing part mounting hole; both the first card-pushing sensor and the second card-pushing sensor are magnetic induction sensors; the first card-pushing sensor is relatively closer to the card inlet; the line connecting the center of the first card-pushing sensor and the center of the card-pushing driven gear is a first line; the second card-pushing sensor is relatively closer to the card outlet; the line connecting the center of the second card-pushing sensor and the center of the card-pushing driven gear is a second line; and the included angle between the first line and the second line is 40°~50°.

[0012] The card-pushing device provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features: the card-pushing head is L-shaped and has a vertical card-pushing rod for moving along the card slot to push cards when the card-pushing arm rotates; the card slot includes an upper card slot and a lower card slot located below and communicating with the upper card slot; the movement radius of the upper card slot is greater than the movement radius of the lower card slot; the upper part of one side of the card-pushing rod has a first card-pushing surface corresponding to the upper card slot; the lower part of the same side of the card-pushing rod has a second card-pushing surface corresponding to the lower card slot; and in the width direction of the card-pushing arm, the second card-pushing surface is located further outward relative to the first card-pushing surface.

[0013] This invention provides a card-pushing device, installed in the card-feeding mechanism of a mahjong machine, for pushing the temporarily stored card stacks in the card slot of the card-feeding mechanism. The card-feeding mechanism also includes a card-stacking device located at the card inlet of the card slot and a card-lifting device located near the card outlet of the card slot. The card-pushing device has the following technical features: it includes a card-pushing motor, a card-pushing rotating base and a card-pushing arm that rotate synchronously under the drive of the card-pushing motor, a card-pushing sensing component, and a card-pushing control unit. One end of the card-pushing arm is a card-pushing head for pushing cards in the card slot. The card-pushing sensing component includes a card-pushing sensor located on the card-pushing rotating base, and a first card-pushing sensing part and a second card-pushing sensing part correspondingly located below the card-pushing rotating base. The first card-pushing sensor corresponds to a predetermined card-stacking entrance waiting position in front of the card-inlet, and the second card-pushing sensor corresponds to a predetermined card-lifting entrance waiting position in front of the card-outlet. The card-pushing control unit is connected to the card-pushing motor and the card-pushing sensor. It determines whether the card-pushing head has reached the card-stacking entrance waiting position based on the sensing signal corresponding to the first card-pushing sensor, and determines whether the card-pushing head has reached the card-lifting entrance waiting position based on the sensing signal corresponding to the second card-pushing sensor. Based on the determination result, it controls the card-pushing motor. The first card-pushing sensor is one of a protruding post and a concave hole, and the second card-pushing sensor is the other of a protruding post and a concave hole. The card-pushing sensor is a distance sensor.

[0014] This invention provides a tile-feeding mechanism installed in a mahjong machine with a shuffling mechanism. The mechanism comprises: a tile-feeding device for absorbing mahjong tiles from the shuffling mechanism and feeding them; a tile-stacking device for stacking the mahjong tiles fed by the tile-feeding device to form a tile stack; a tile-storage device for storing the tile stack in a slot; a tile-pushing device for pushing and conveying the tile stack in the slot; and a tile-lifting device for raising the conveyed tile stack to a tabletop. The tile-pushing device is any one of the aforementioned tile-pushing devices.

[0015] The card-adding mechanism provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features: the card-stacking device has a card-stacking counting sensor for counting the mahjong tiles stacked and entering the card slot, and generating a card-stacking completion sensing signal when the count reaches a predetermined number; when the card-stacking completion sensing signal is received, the card-pushing control unit controls the card-pushing motor to start, thereby causing the card-pushing head to push the tile blocks in the card slot toward the card-dispensing opening.

[0016] The card-raising mechanism provided by the present invention may also have the following technical features: the card-raising device has a swingable support plate for raising the card stacks to the tabletop, and a swing sensor corresponding to the support plate. One end of the support plate is a receiving end for receiving the transported card stacks. The swing sensor generates a card-raising sensing signal when it senses that the receiving end has descended to the correct position, and generates a card-raising completion sensing signal when it senses that the receiving end has risen to the correct position. When the card-raising control unit receives the card-raising sensing signal, it controls the card-pushing motor to start, thereby causing the card-pushing head to push the card stacks in the card slot onto the support plate; when it receives the card-raising completion sensing signal, it controls the card-pushing motor to start, thereby causing the card-pushing head to reset.

[0017] The present invention provides a mahjong machine having the following technical features: a shuffling mechanism for shuffling multiple mahjong tiles; and multiple tile-adding mechanisms for adding the shuffled mahjong tiles, wherein the tile-adding mechanisms are the aforementioned tile-adding mechanisms.

[0018] The role and effect of invention

[0019] According to the present invention, the card-pushing device, card-feeding mechanism, and mahjong machine include a card-pushing rotating base, a card-pushing arm, and a card-pushing sensing component. The card-pushing sensing component includes a card-pushing sensor disposed on the card-pushing rotating base and a first card-pushing sensor and a second card-pushing sensor disposed below the card-pushing rotating base. These two sensors are respectively disposed at a predetermined card-stacking entrance waiting position before the card slot and a predetermined card-lifting entrance sensing position before the card outlet. Therefore, by sensing the signals from these two sensors, the current position of the card-pushing head of the card-pushing arm can be accurately determined. The card-pushing motor can then be controlled according to the sensing signals, so that the card-pushing head can wait outside the card slot when the card-stacking device is stacking cards, without interfering with it. Furthermore, the card-pushing head can wait at the card outlet after pushing multiple stacks of cards onto the card-lifting device, without interfering with the card-lifting device. This also prevents the card stacks on the card-lifting device from sliding down, which would result in a shortage of mahjong tiles on the table. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of the mahjong machine in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the mahjong machine from one angle in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the mahjong machine from another angle in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the license plate issuing mechanism from one angle in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the license plate issuing mechanism from another angle in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of the card-feeding device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of the card stacking device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of the stacking device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 9 This is a structural diagram of the toggle drive block in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of one side of the stacked card block in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 11 This is a structural diagram of the card storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 12 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the card slot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 13 This is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device at one angle in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 14 This is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device from another angle in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 15 This is a structural diagram of the card-pushing arm in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 16 This is a top view of the structure of the card storage device and the card pushing device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 17 yes Figure 16 Enlarged view of the inner part of frame A;

[0037] Figure 18 This is a structural diagram of the card-raising device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 19 This is a structural diagram of the card-raising device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 20 This is a structural diagram of the driven wheel side surface in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 21 This is a structural diagram of the swing linkage in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 22 This is a structural diagram of the other side surface of the driven wheel in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 23 This is a structural block diagram of the card stacking device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 24 This is a structural block diagram of the card-pushing device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 25 This is a flowchart of the card-pushing device pushing cards in the first card-playing mode in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 26 This is a flowchart of the card-pushing device pushing cards in the second card-playing mode in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 27 This is a structural block diagram of the card-raising device in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Figure label:

[0048] Mahjong machine 100; Card feeding mechanism 101; Card supply device 10; Card suction wheel 11; Card supply frame 12; Belt assembly 13; Card supply motor 14; Card supply belt 15; Guide wheel 16; Tensioning wheel 17; Card stacking device 20; Card stacking block 21; Card stacking block groove 211; Card stacking block drive rod 22; Card stacking drive shaft 221; Card stacking drive wheel 23; Card stacking drive groove 231; Concave section 231A; Protruding section 231B; Card stacking motor 24; Card pushing block 25; Card pushing connecting rod 26; Card pushing drive block 27; Card pushing slide 271; Card stacking housing 28; Card stacking counting sensor 29; Card stacking control unit 291; Card storage device 30; Card storage tray 31; Rotating shaft 310; Baffle 311 Card slot 312; Upper card slot 312A; Lower card slot 312B; Card inlet 312C; Card outlet 312D; Support column 313; Driven wheel slot 314; Connecting rod mating slot 315; Upper slot plate 32; Flange 321; Lower slot plate 33; Inner slot plate 34; Card pushing device 40; Card pushing seat 41; Notch 41A; Rotating slot 411; Recessed section 412; Card pushing rotating seat 42; Center 42A; Push arm mounting protrusion 421; Push arm mounting hole 422; Rotating seat tooth 423; Sensor mounting hole 425; Card pushing arm 43; Card pushing head 431; Card pushing head mounting part 4311; Card pushing rod part 4312; Upper card pushing part 43121; First card pushing surface 43121a; Lower pusher section 43122; Second pusher surface 43122a; Pusher slider 432; Connecting arm 433; Telescopic receiving groove 4331; Guide arm 434; Mounting plate 4341; Pusher motor 44; Pusher drive gear 45; Pusher sensing assembly 46; First pusher sensor 461; Second pusher sensor 462; Storage sensor 465; Pusher sensing circuit board 464; Pusher control unit 47; First connection L1; Second connection L2; Stacking entrance waiting position P1; Lifting entrance waiting position P2; Lifting device 50; Lifting control unit 501; Support frame 51; Support groove 511; Open end 511A; Support plate 52; Support Matching groove 521; swing motor 53; swing arm 54; swing shaft 541; swing shaft tooth 542; swing slider 543; swing connecting rod 55; driven wheel matching end 551; swing matching end 552; roller 553; swing matching tooth 554; driving wheel 56; driven wheel 57; driven wheel shaft 316; track groove 572; far end 572A; near end 572B; first sensor 58; second sensor 59; first sensor 61; second sensor 62; operation panel mechanism 102; table frame mechanism 103; outer frame 104; table board 105; card slot 105A; lower frame 106; shuffling mechanism 107; control device 108; mahjong tiles 200. Detailed Implementation

[0049] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of the present invention easy to understand, the following describes the card pushing device, card loading mechanism and mahjong machine of the present invention in detail with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0050] <Example>

[0051] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of the mahjong machine in this embodiment. Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the mahjong machine from one angle in this embodiment. Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the mahjong machine from another angle in this embodiment.

[0052] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, this embodiment provides a mahjong machine 100 for automatically shuffling and loading mahjong tiles 200, including a shuffling mechanism 107, four loading mechanisms 101, an operation panel mechanism 102, a table frame mechanism 103, and a control device 108.

[0053] The table frame mechanism 103 includes an outer frame 104, a tabletop 105 mounted on the outer frame 104, and a lower frame 106 that supports the tabletop 105 and other mechanisms. The bottom of the lower frame 106 is provided with table legs for supporting the ground.

[0054] The control panel mechanism 102 is located in the middle of the tabletop 105, and its top is equipped with a control panel 1021. The control panel 1021 has multiple different operation buttons (not shown in the figure) for users to input operation commands. In this embodiment, the mahjong machine supports two game modes. Users can set which game mode to play on the control panel 1021. The control device 108 obtains the corresponding operation command and sends the signal setting the corresponding game mode to each tile-dealing mechanism 101.

[0055] In this embodiment, the operation panel mechanism 102 is also provided with a lifting component, which can lower the operation panel 1021 under the control of the control device 108, exposing the gap between the operation panel 1021 and the table 105. At this time, the user can push the used mahjong tiles 200 through the gap to shuffle the tiles.

[0056] The shuffling mechanism 107 is located below the operation panel 1021 and is used to receive the used mahjong tiles 200 and shuffle them. It includes a shuffling plate for carrying and rotating the mahjong tiles and a drive motor for driving the shuffling plate to rotate. Its specific structure and function are the same as those of the prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0057] The mahjong machine 100 of this embodiment can be used by four users at the same time, and is provided with four card-adding mechanisms 101, which are located at the four corners of the lower frame 106 respectively.

[0058] The control device 108 is used to control the operation of various components of the mahjong machine 100 according to the operation commands input by the user. The control device 108 may be a chip with a predetermined control program, an industrial control computer, or a microcomputer, and is connected to the operation panel mechanism 102 and the various controlled components and sensors of the mahjong machine 100. In this embodiment, the various control units described below may be integrated into the control device 108, or they may be separate control programs located in a separate chip, which is electrically or communicatively connected to the control device 108.

[0059] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the license plate issuing mechanism from one angle in this embodiment. Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the license plate issuing mechanism from another angle in this embodiment.

[0060] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the card-adding mechanism 101 includes a card-supplying device 10, a card-stacking device 20, a card-storing device 30, a card-pushing device 40, and a card-raising device 50. The card-stacking device 20, the card-pushing device 40, and the card-raising device 50 each include their respective hardware structures and control units. The hardware structures will be described first, followed by a description of each control unit in conjunction with the hardware structures.

[0061] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of the card-supplying device in this embodiment.

[0062] like Figures 4 to 6 As shown, the card feeding device 10 includes a card suction wheel 11, a card feeding frame 12, a belt assembly 13, and a card feeding motor 14.

[0063] The card feeder 12 is fixedly installed on the lower frame 106 and located near the shuffling mechanism 101. It has an opening facing the shuffling plate of the shuffling mechanism 101. The card suction wheel 11 is rotatably installed at the opening. The output end of the card feeder motor 14 is connected to the card suction wheel 11 and can drive the card suction wheel 11 to rotate.

[0064] The belt assembly 13 includes a feeding belt 15 wound around the card-feeding wheel 11, a guide wheel 16 for guiding the feeding belt 15, and a tensioning wheel 17 for tensioning the feeding belt 15. The guide wheel 16 is mounted near the card-stacking device 20 so that the feeding belt 15 can transport the mahjong tiles on it to the card-stacking device 20.

[0065] In this embodiment, the card-collecting wheel 11 is equipped with several card-collecting magnets, and each mahjong tile 200 is inlaid with magnetic material that can be magnetically attracted to the shuffling magnets. When the card-collecting wheel 11 rotates under the drive of the card-feeding motor 14, the card-collecting magnets that rotate to the downward position can attract the mahjong tiles 200 below. As the card-collecting wheel 11 continues to rotate, the mahjong tiles 200 are carried to the top of the card-collecting wheel 11 and then transported to the stacking device 20 by the card-feeding belt 15.

[0066] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of the card stacking device in this embodiment. Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of the stacking device in this embodiment. Figure 8 The stacked card housing and stacked card motor are omitted to show other internal structures.

[0067] like Figures 4 to 8 As shown, the stacking device 20 is used to stack the single mahjong tiles fed by the tile feeding device 10 to form a stack of two tiles together, and includes a stacking unit and a tile dispensing unit.

[0068] The card stacking unit includes a card stacking block 21, a card stacking block drive rod 22, a card stacking drive wheel 23, and a card stacking motor 24. The card pulling unit includes a card pulling block 25, a card pulling connecting rod 26, and a card pulling drive block 27. In addition, the card stacking device 20 also has a card stacking housing 28 that houses and supports the various components in the card stacking unit and the card pulling unit.

[0069] The top of the stacking block 21 is flat. In the initial state, this flat surface is located near the guide wheel 16 of the supply belt 15 and can receive the mahjong tiles conveyed on the supply belt 15.

[0070] The stacking block 21 is provided with a stacking block groove 211. One end of the stacking block drive rod 22 is a movable end, which is slidably fitted into the stacking block groove 211 by a slider.

[0071] The card stacking drive wheel 23 is mounted on the output shaft of the card stacking motor 24 and rotates under the drive of the card stacking motor 24. A card stacking drive groove 231 is provided on one side of the wheel.

[0072] The other end of the stacking block drive rod 22 is a fixed end, which has a stacking drive shaft 221 hinged to the stacking block housing 27; the middle part of the stacking block drive rod 22 is also provided with a slider that is slidably fitted in the stacking drive groove 231. When the stacking drive wheel 23 rotates, the stacking block drive rod 22 swings up and down, driving the stacking block 21 to move up and down through the movable end.

[0073] Figure 9 This is a structural diagram of one side of the stacked card block according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0074] like Figure 9As shown, the stacking drive groove 231 is approximately annular, with a concave section 231A with a decreasing radius and a convex section 231B with an increasing radius. When the slider in the middle of the stacking block drive rod 22 is in the concave section 231A, the top plane of the stacking block 21 is lower than the upper plane of the end of the feeding belt 15, and the height difference is slightly greater than the thickness of two mahjong tiles, so that the mahjong tiles fed by the feeding belt 15 can be stacked on the top plane of the stacking block 21. When the slider in the middle of the stacking block drive rod 22 moves to the convex section 231B, it can drive the stacking block 21 to move slightly upward, which facilitates the card-picking block 25 to perform the card-picking action.

[0075] The card-pulling block 25 is fixed to the top of the card-pulling linkage 26. The card-pulling linkage 26 is bent in an approximately L-shape, and its lower end is fixed to one side of the card-pulling drive block 27.

[0076] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of the toggle drive block according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0077] like Figure 10 As shown, the other side of the card-pulling drive block 27 is provided with an arc-shaped card-pulling groove 271, and the other side of the stacking drive wheel 23 (i.e. the opposite side of the surface where the stacking block groove 211 is located) is provided with a slider that slides into the card-pulling groove 271. As the stacking drive wheel 23 rotates, under the action of the slider and the card-pulling groove 271, the card-pulling drive block 27 moves back and forth intermittently and drives the card-pulling block 25 to move back and forth through the card-pulling connecting rod 26. Thus, when the two mahjong tiles 200 at the top of the stacking block 21 overlap to form a tile stack, the tile stack is pushed toward the tile storage device 30.

[0078] Figure 11 This is a structural diagram of the card storage device in this embodiment.

[0079] like Figure 11 As shown, the card storage device 30 includes a card storage tray 31, an upper slot plate 32, a lower slot plate 33, and an inner slot plate 34.

[0080] The card storage tray 31 is approximately square in shape, with one corner notched and the other three corners rounded. Vertically upward-extending baffles 311 are provided along the edge, and the center protrudes upwards, forming a card slot 312 between the baffles 311 and the central protrusion. Additionally, a support column 313 is provided at the bottom of the card storage tray 31, which is used to mount it to the lower frame 106.

[0081] The upper groove plate 32 is a plate-shaped component that matches the shape of the baffle 311 and is embedded in the upper part of the inner surface of the baffle 311; the lower groove plate 33 is a plate-shaped component that matches the card slot 312 and is embedded in the bottom surface of the card slot 312; the inner groove plate 34 is approximately annular and matches the central protrusion of the card storage tray 31, and is installed on the outer edge of the central protrusion of the card storage tray 31.

[0082] The card feeding device 10 and the card stacking device 20 are located at the notch corner of the card storage tray 31 and are positioned near one end of the card slot 312. One end of the card slot 312 is the card inlet 312C, and the other end is the card outlet 312D. The card stacking block 21 is located at the end opening of the card slot 312. When the card block 25 is pushed towards the card storage device 30, the card block will enter the card slot from the end opening of the card slot 312. When the next card block is stacked and pushed towards the card slot 312 by the card block 25, the card block will also push the card blocks that have already entered the card slot 312. This process is repeated to allow a certain number of card blocks to be stored in the card slot 312.

[0083] Figure 12 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the card slot in this embodiment.

[0084] like Figure 12 As shown, the upper slot plate 32, lower slot plate 33, and inner slot plate 34 are all adapted to the card slot 312, together forming a card storage slot structure that can store and allow card blocks to pass through. Among them, the bottom end of the upper slot plate 32 has a flange 321 protruding towards the center of the card slot 312, and the upper half of the inner slot plate 34 protrudes outward, so that the card slot 312 forms two parts with different movement radii (i.e., distances relative to the center of the card storage tray 31) (as shown by the two dashed boxes in the figure), namely the upper card slot 312A and the lower card slot 312B. The upper slot 312A and the lower slot 312B correspond to the upper and lower mahjong tiles in the tile stack, respectively. Since the upper slot 312A has a larger radius of motion, even if the upper mahjong tile moves faster due to less friction caused by the lower surface only contacting the lower mahjong tile, the upper slot 312A can still provide a slightly longer movement path, so that the upper mahjong tile will not detach from the lower mahjong tile due to the faster speed when moving in the slot.

[0085] Figure 13 This is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device from one angle in this embodiment. Figure 14 This is a structural diagram of the card-pushing device from another angle in this embodiment.

[0086] like Figure 13 and Figure 14 As shown, the card pushing device 40 includes a card pushing base 41, a card pushing rotating base 42, a card pushing arm 43, a card pushing motor 44, a card pushing drive gear 45, and a card pushing sensing unit 46.

[0087] The card holder 41 is fixedly installed in the middle of the card storage tray 31, that is, in the inner circle of the card slot 312. The middle part has a circular notch 41A, and the periphery has a rotating groove 411. The shape and outline of the rotating groove 411 are basically matched with the upper card slot 312A, but the size is smaller. At the same time, there is a recessed section 412 near the notch of the card storage tray 31.

[0088] The card pusher rotating seat 42 is rotatably mounted on the card storage tray 31 via a rotating shaft 310. The entire seat is located within a notch 41A, and its upper surface protrudes from the notch 41A. A push arm mounting protrusion 421 is provided on the upper surface of the card pusher rotating seat 42, and a push arm mounting hole 422 extending horizontally through the protrusion 421.

[0089] Figure 15 This is a structural diagram of the card-pushing arm in this embodiment.

[0090] like Figure 15 As shown, the card pusher arm 43 is a telescopic arm, which is roughly L-shaped and includes a card pusher head 431, a card pusher slider 432, a connecting arm 433, and a guide arm 434.

[0091] The connecting arm 433 is generally rectangular in shape and has a connecting groove 4331 extending along its length. The cross-section of the connecting groove 4331 in its extending direction is similar to the top of a "U" shape, that is, it includes an upper horizontal section, a downwardly extending transition section, a lower horizontal section, an upwardly extending transition section, and another upper horizontal section connected in sequence, and the connection positions between each section have rounded corners. The connecting arm 433 is movably inserted into a square push arm mounting hole 422. The push arm mounting hole 422 is located on one side of the center 42A of the push card rotating seat 42, that is, the push card arm 43 is eccentrically arranged relative to the push card rotating seat 42 (push card driven gear).

[0092] One end of the guide arm 434 is embedded and fixed in the connecting groove 4331, and the other end is fixedly mounted with a pusher head 431. The guide arm 434 is an irregularly shaped elongated strip, and its cross-sectional shape matches the cross-sectional shape of the telescopic receiving groove 4331, that is, it is also similar to the top of a "U" shape. The connection points between each segment have rounded corners, which allows the guide arm 434 to have sufficient structural strength while being relatively thin, and it can also play a certain guiding role when telescopically extending relative to the connecting arm 433. One side of the middle of the guide arm 434 has a downwardly extending L-shaped mounting plate portion 4341. A pusher slider 432 is rotatably mounted below the end of the mounting plate portion 4341. The pusher slider 432 is cylindrical, and its axis is perpendicular to the length direction of the pusher arm 43. The pusher slider 432 is slidably embedded in the rotating groove 411.

[0093] The card pusher head 431 is an irregularly shaped part, generally L-shaped, with a card pusher head mounting part 4311 and a card pusher rod part 4312 that are roughly perpendicular to each other. The card pusher head mounting part 4311 has a mounting hole shaped like the top of a "U" character, which fits into the other end of the guide arm part 433. The card pusher rod part 4312 includes an upper card pusher part 43121 and a lower card pusher part 43122. The upper card pusher part 43121 is generally rectangular plate-shaped, with one side being a first card pusher surface 43121a, which is a long strip plane perpendicular to the width direction of the card pusher arm 43. The lower pusher portion 43122 is roughly L-shaped. It extends downward from the bottom of the upper pusher portion 43121, and then extends outward from one side of the first pusher surface 43121a of the upper pusher portion 43121 along the width direction of the pusher arm 43. A lateral protrusion is formed at the bottom of the pusher arm 4312. The outer end face of the lateral protrusion is the second pusher surface 43122a, which is a rectangular plane and is also perpendicular to the width direction of the pusher arm 43. That is, in the width direction of the pusher arm 43, the second pusher surface 43122a is located further outward than the first pusher surface 43121a. In addition, the other side of the pusher arm 4312 opposite to the second pusher surface 43122a is inclined relative to the length direction of the pusher arm 4312, making the width of the bottom end of the pusher arm 4312 smaller.

[0094] In this embodiment, the guide arm 434 is made of metal, while the connecting arm 433 and the pusher head 431 are both made of plastic.

[0095] The card-pushing motor 44 is located below the card-pushing base 41, and a card-pushing main gear 45 is mounted on its output shaft. The lower surface of the card-pushing rotating base 42 is provided with a rotating seat tooth 423 (i.e., a card-pushing driven gear) that meshes with the card-pushing main gear 45, thereby enabling the card-pushing motor 44 to drive the card-pushing rotating base 42 to rotate. When the card-pushing rotating base 42 rotates, the card-pushing slider 432 also moves accordingly within the rotating groove 411, driving the card-pushing head 431 to push the card blocks in the card slot 321. Since the rotating groove 411 has a recessed section 412, when the card-pushing slider 432 reaches the position of the recessed section 412, the distance between the card-pushing slider 432 and the rotation center (i.e., the rotation shaft 310) of the card-pushing rotating base 42 will shorten, causing the card-pushing head 431 to retract inward toward the rotation center and not contact the components of the card-feeding device 10 and the card-stacking device 20, thereby avoiding mutual interference.

[0096] When the pusher head 431 is in the slot 312, the second pusher face 43122a is located in the lower slot 312B, and the upper part of the first pusher face 43121a is located in the upper slot 312A. Both pusher faces are basically perpendicular to the extension direction of the slot 312. Therefore, in the pushing direction, the lower layer mahjong tiles in the slot 312 are relatively forward compared to the upper layer mahjong tiles. That is, the upper layer mahjong tiles always remain slightly behind during the movement.

[0097] When the tile stack reaches the tile lifting device 50, the upper layer of mahjong tiles has less friction because it only contacts the lower layer of mahjong tiles. After the pushing force of the tile pusher 431 is removed, it usually slides forward a short distance. However, in this embodiment, through the combination of the structural design of the tile pusher protrusion 433 and the larger movement radius of the tile loading groove 312A, the upper layer of mahjong tiles always stays slightly behind during the movement. After the pushing force is removed, the upper layer of mahjong tiles slides a short distance and then overlaps exactly on top of the lower layer of mahjong tiles, so that the mahjong tiles can be stacked neatly when the tiles are loaded.

[0098] Figure 16 This is a top view of the card storage device and card pushing device in this embodiment. The card pushing rotating seat is not shown in the figure. Figure 17 yes Figure 16 Enlarged view of the area inside frame A. Figure 16 and Figure 17 The push plate rotating seat is not shown in the image, and Figure 17 The dotted line in the middle shows the push card from the edge structure of the gear.

[0099] like Figure 16 and Figure 17 As shown, the card pushing sensing assembly 46 includes a first card pushing sensor 461, a second card pushing sensor 462, a card pushing sensing part (not shown in the figure), a card pushing sensing circuit board 464, and a card storage sensor 465.

[0100] The pusher rotating seat 42 has a sensor mounting hole 425 on one side edge. The sensor mounting hole 425 extends along the axial direction of the pusher rotating seat 42, and its axial cross-section is circular, with the internal diameter being larger than the diameters at both ends. The pusher sensing part is a roughly cylindrical magnet, which is disposed in the sensor mounting hole 425, and thus can move along an arc as the pusher rotating seat 42 rotates. In addition, the sensor mounting hole 425 and the pusher arm mounting hole 422 are located on opposite sides of a diameter direction of the pusher rotating seat 42. The line connecting the sensor mounting hole 425 and the center 42A of the pusher rotating seat 42 forms an acute angle with the length direction of the pusher arm 42. The angle is 40° to 50°, and in this embodiment, it is 45°.

[0101] The card-pushing sensing circuit board 464 is roughly T-shaped, with an arc-shaped upper part. The first card-pushing sensor 461 and the second card-pushing sensor 462 are both magnetic induction sensors, respectively located at opposite ends of the upper part of the circuit board 464. These two sensors, along with the card-pushing sensing part, are all located on the same circumference of the card-pushing rotating base 42, meaning their distances from the central axis of the base are approximately equal. Therefore, both sensors are located directly below the moving path of the card-pushing sensing part. When the card-pushing sensing part moves directly above one of these two sensors, that sensor detects the card-pushing sensing part and generates a corresponding sensing signal. Specifically, the first card-pushing sensor 461 generates a first card-pushing position sensing signal when it detects the card-pushing sensing part, and the second card-pushing sensor 462 generates a second card-pushing position sensing signal when it detects the card-pushing sensing part.

[0102] The first card-pushing sensor 461 is relatively close to the card inlet 312C and corresponds to the predetermined card-stacking entrance waiting position P1 in front of the card inlet 312C. When the card-pushing rotating seat 42 rotates to the point where the first card-pushing sensor 461 senses the card-pushing sensing part (that is, when the card-pushing sensing part is approximately directly above the first card-pushing sensor 461), and under the guidance of the recessed section 412, the card-pushing head 431 is positioned at the predetermined card-stacking entrance waiting position P1. In this embodiment, the card-stacking entrance waiting position P1 is located behind the card inlet 312C along the card-pushing direction, between the card inlet 312C and the card-lifting device 50, where there is relatively large open space. The aforementioned recessed section 412 is located next to the card-stacking entrance waiting position P1.

[0103] The second push card sensor 462 is relatively closer to the card outlet 312D and is set in accordance with the predetermined card raising entrance waiting position P2 in front of the card outlet 312D. When the push card rotating seat 42 rotates to the point where the second push card sensor 462 senses the push card sensing part, the push card head 431 is located at the card raising entrance waiting position P2.

[0104] like Figure 16 As shown, the line connecting the first card pusher sensor 461 and the center 42A of the card pusher rotating seat 42 is the first connecting line L1, and the line connecting the second card pusher sensor 462 and the center 42A of the card pusher rotating seat 42 is the second connecting line L2. The included angle between the first connecting line L1 and the second connecting line L2 is 40°~50°, and in this embodiment it is 45°. Furthermore, this included angle corresponds to the included angle between the direction of the line connecting the sensor mounting hole 425 and the center 42A of the card pusher rotating seat 42 and the length direction of the card pusher arm 42.

[0105] In the initial state, the pusher head 431 is located at the waiting position P1 at the stacking entrance, thus avoiding interference with the stacking device 20. After the stacking device 20 completes the stacking and dispensing of a predetermined number of mahjong tiles to form several stacks of mahjong tiles, the pusher motor 44 drives the pusher arm 43 to rotate. The pusher arm 43 pushes these stacks of mahjong tiles along the tile slot 312 until the pusher arm 43 rotates to the point where the first pusher sensor 461 senses the pusher sensing part. Based on the sensing signal, the pusher motor 44 is controlled to stop, so that the pusher head 431 stops at the waiting position P2 at the lifting entrance. At this time, the several stacks of mahjong tiles pushed by it are located at the bottom of the support plate 52. The pusher head 431 can prevent these stacks of mahjong tiles from falling off the support plate 52 and will not interfere with the end of the support plate 52.

[0106] Then, when the support plate 52 rotates to lift the cards, the pusher motor 44 drives the pusher arm 43 to rotate again until the pusher arm 43 rotates to the point where the second pusher sensor 462 senses the pusher sensing part. Based on the sensing signal, the pusher motor 44 is controlled to stop, so that the pusher head 431 stops at the card stacking entrance waiting position P1. At this time, the pusher head 431 is located near the card inlet 312C and will not interfere with the card stacking device 20.

[0107] The storage sensor 465 is located at the outlet 312D of the tile slot 312 (i.e., near the end of the tile lifting device 50). It is a magnetic induction sensor. When there is a tile stack at the outlet 312D, it senses the magnets in the mahjong tiles 200 and generates a corresponding sensing signal. Specifically, when the first stack of tiles in the tile slot 312 reaches the outlet 312D, the storage sensor 465 senses the first magnet (i.e., there has been a relatively long period without sensing a magnet before sensing this magnet, exceeding a predetermined time threshold), generating a stop-tile sensing signal. Subsequently, when multiple stacks of tiles in the tile slot 312 are pushed and pass through the outlet 312D in sequence, the storage sensor 465 senses multiple consecutive magnets (i.e., the interval between sensing two adjacent magnets is short, less than the predetermined time threshold), generating a tile-adding sensing signal.

[0108] Figure 18 This is a structural diagram of the card-raising device in this embodiment. Figure 19 This is a structural diagram of the card-raising device in this embodiment. Figure 19 The support frame is omitted in the text.

[0109] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 18 and Figure 19As shown, the card lifting device 50 is used to push the card stacks delivered by the card pushing device 40 to rise to the tabletop. It includes a support unit and a swing unit. The support unit includes a support frame 51 and a support plate 52. The swing unit includes a swing motor 53, a swing arm 54, a swing linkage 55, and a swing gear set composed of a drive wheel 56 and a driven wheel 57.

[0110] The support frame 51 is fixedly installed on the lower frame 106, located near the card supply frame 12 and fixedly connected to the card supply frame 12 to form a frame. An opening is formed at the lower end of one side of the support frame 51 to facilitate the exposure of the card suction wheel 11, and a support groove 511 is formed at the upper end. The support groove 511 has an open end 511A, which faces the tail end of the card slot 312, and the depth of the support groove 511 gradually increases from the other end to the open end 511A.

[0111] The support plate 52 is used to support the card stack to be placed. The support plate 52 is a long strip plate-shaped piece. One end is a receiving end that can receive the card stack pushed by the card pusher arm 43 from the card slot 312, located at the open end 511A; the other end is a mounting end, which is rotatably mounted on the other end of the support slot 511 opposite to the open end 511A via a rotating shaft, so that the support plate 52 can swing up and down in the support slot 511, and correspondingly its receiving end can rise or fall at the open end 511A.

[0112] The tabletop 105 is provided with a card slot 105A that corresponds to the position and shape of the support plate 52. When the support plate 52 swings upward until the receiving end rises to the highest position, the entire support plate 52 protrudes from the card slot 105 onto the tabletop, and the user can remove the card stacks on the support plate 52. The position of the support plate 52 in this state is referred to as the upward swing position of the support plate 52. When the support plate 52 swings downward until the receiving end descends to the lowest position, the receiving end is basically flush with the bottom of the card slot 312. The card pushing arm 43 can push the card stacks in the card slot 312 from the receiving end onto the support plate 52. The position of the support plate 52 in this state is referred to as the downward swing position of the support plate 52.

[0113] The swing motor 53 is installed below the card storage tray 31, and its output axis extends upward to the card storage tray 31.

[0114] The drive wheel 56 is mounted on the output shaft of the swing motor 53 and can rotate under the drive of the swing motor 53.

[0115] A driven wheel groove 314 is provided on the card storage plate 31 near the drive wheel 56. The driven wheel 57 is rotatably mounted in the driven wheel groove 314 through a driven wheel shaft 316 and meshes with the drive wheel 56. Therefore, it can be driven by the drive wheel 56 to rotate under the drive of the swing motor 53.

[0116] Figure 20 This is a structural diagram of the driven wheel side surface in this embodiment.

[0117] like Figure 20 As shown, a track groove 572 is provided on one side surface of the driven wheel 57. The track groove 572 is in the shape of one side protruding. The farthest part of it from the center of the driven wheel 57 (rotation center, i.e. the center of the driven wheel shaft 316) is the far end 572A, and the closest part to the center of the driven wheel 57 is the near end 572B.

[0118] Figure 21 This is a structural diagram of the swing linkage in this embodiment.

[0119] like Figure 21 As shown, each end of the swing link 55 has a straight rod-shaped end. One end is a driven wheel engagement end 551 that engages with the driven wheel 57, and the other end is a swing engagement end 552 that engages with the swing arm 54. In this embodiment, the driven wheel engagement end 551 and the swing engagement end 552 are parallel in length. The middle part of the swing link 55 has a first transition section 555 and a second transition section 556 that connect the driven wheel engagement end 551 and the swing engagement end 552. One end of the first transition section 555 is connected to the driven wheel engagement end 551 and is inclined relative to it, with an obtuse angle between them. The two ends of the second transition section 556 are connected to the other end of the first transition section 555 and the swing engagement end 552, respectively, and are approximately perpendicular to the first transition section 555 and inclined relative to the swing engagement end 552, with an obtuse angle between them. A clearance groove 5551 is provided at one end of the first transition section 555 near the second transition section 556. The clearance groove 5551 extends through the width of the first transition section 555. The groove width is slightly larger than the width of the bottom end of the push rod 4212 of the push arm 42. Therefore, when the push arm 42 rotates, the clearance groove 5551 can make way for it.

[0120] The driven wheel groove 314 has a straight connecting rod mating groove 315 whose size matches the driven wheel mating end 551. The driven wheel mating end 551 is located in the connecting rod mating groove 315, so that the driven wheel mating end 551 is approximately below the driven wheel 57.

[0121] The side surface of the driven wheel 57 with the track groove 572 facing down, and the upper surface of the driven wheel mating end 551 is also provided with a roller 553. The roller 553 is slidably embedded in the track groove 572, so that when the driven wheel 57 rotates, it can drive the swing link 55 to reciprocate along the length direction of the link mating groove 315 through the roller 553.

[0122] The lower end of the swing arm 54 is provided with a swing shaft 541, which is provided through the support frame 51, so that the swing arm 54 can rotate around the swing shaft 541 and swing up and down.

[0123] The swing shaft 541 has circumferentially distributed swing shaft teeth 542 on the end exposed outside the support frame 51, and swing mating teeth 554 are distributed along the length direction on the swing mating end 552. The swing shaft teeth 542 and the swing mating teeth 554 mesh with each other. When the swing connecting rod 55 moves back and forth, it can drive the swing arm 54 to swing up and down.

[0124] The lower surface of the receiving end of the bearing plate 52 is provided with a bearing mating groove 521, and the upper end of the swing arm 54 is provided with a swing slider 543 that is slidably engaged in the bearing mating groove 521. When the swing arm 54 swings up and down under the drive of the swing connecting rod 55, it can drive the receiving end of the bearing plate 52 to swing up and down, that is, swing back and forth between the upper swing position and the lower swing position.

[0125] Since the far end 572A and the near end 572B of the track groove 572 correspond to the two ends of the reciprocating translation stroke of the swing link 55, when the roller 553 moves to the far end 572A, the swing arm 54 will rotate away from the swing link 55, and vice versa.

[0126] In this invention, depending on the different meshing states of the swing shaft tooth 542 and the swing mating tooth 554, the relative positions of the swing connecting rod 55 and the swing arm 54 can change. Therefore, the movement of the swing connecting rod 55 can correspond to different lifting and lowering movements of the swing arm 54, as follows:

[0127] When the swing link 55 is in the retracted state (i.e., the roller 553 is located at the proximal end 572B and the swing link 55 is located closer to the driven wheel 57), the swing arm 54 is facing upwards, and the rotational motion of the swing arm 54 away from the swing link 55 will cause its upper end to move downwards; when the swing link 55 is in the retracted state and the swing arm 54 is facing the swing link 55 (at this time the swing arm 54 is in an approximately horizontal state), the rotational motion of the swing arm 54 away from the swing link 55 will cause its upper end to move upwards.

[0128] Therefore, the far end 572A of the track groove 572 corresponds to one of the upper swing position and the lower swing position of the support plate 52, while the near end 572B corresponds to the other of the upper swing position and the lower swing position.

[0129] In this embodiment, the first scenario (i.e., the swing link 55 is in the retracted state and the swing arm 54 is in the vertical state) will be used as an example for specific explanation.

[0130] Figure 22 This is a structural diagram of the other side surface of the driven wheel in this embodiment.

[0131] like Figure 22As shown, the other surface (i.e., the upward-facing surface) of the driven wheel 57 is provided with a first lifting plate sensor 58 and a second lifting plate sensor 59, both of which are magnets. With the center of the driven wheel shaft 316 as the center, the first lifting plate sensor 58 and the second lifting plate sensor 59 are distributed on both sides of the driven wheel shaft 316, and are located on the same diameter of the driven wheel 57, but on different circumferences of the driven wheel 57. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the distal end 572A and the proximal end 572B are also on the same diameter line of the driven wheel 57.

[0132] The swing unit also includes a sensing component mounted above the driven wheel 57. The sensing component includes a first swing sensor 61 that cooperates with the first lifting plate sensing part 58 and a second swing sensor 62 that cooperates with the second sensing part 58. Both of them are magnetic induction sensors.

[0133] In this embodiment, the first swing sensor 61 and the second swing sensor 62 are both set at specific positions, such that when the roller 553 reaches the near end 572B, the first lifting plate sensing part 58 just reaches below the first swing sensor 61, and at the same time, when the roller 553 reaches the far end 572A, the second lifting plate sensing part 59 just reaches below the second swing sensor 62.

[0134] Thus, when the roller 553 reaches the proximal end 572B, causing the swing arm 54 to be in a vertical state and the support plate 52 to be in an upward swing position, the first swing sensor 61 just senses the first plate-raising sensor 58 and outputs a plate-raising completion sensing signal; when the roller 553 reaches the distal end 572A, causing the swing arm 54 to swing from a vertical state to a horizontal state and the support plate 52 to be in a downward swing position, the second swing sensor 62 just senses the second plate-raising sensor 59 and outputs a plate-raising sensing signal.

[0135] Furthermore, when the roller 553 is neither at the near end 572B nor at the far end 572A, neither the first swing sensor 61 nor the second swing sensor 62 outputs a sensing signal, indicating that the bearing plate 52 is at a position between the upper swing position and the lower swing position.

[0136] Therefore, in this embodiment, the first swing sensor 58 corresponds to the upward swing position of the support plate 52, and the second swing sensor 59 corresponds to the downward swing position of the support plate 52. By observing the real-time output signals from the first swing sensor 61 and the second swing sensor 62, it is possible to accurately determine whether the support plate 52 is currently in the downward swing position, the upward swing position, or a position between the two.

[0137] Figure 23 This is a structural block diagram of the stacking device in this embodiment.

[0138] like Figure 6 and Figure 23As shown, the stacking device 20 also includes a stacking counting sensor 29, which is located near the stacking block 21. Specifically, it can be installed on the relevant components of the card slot in the card storage device 30, or it can be installed on a separate mounting bracket. The stacking counting sensor 29 is a magnetic induction sensor that generates a sensing signal when a mahjong tile with an embedded magnet passes through, thereby counting the mahjong tiles stacked and entering the card slot 312. Since the mahjong tiles 200 are stacked in pairs to form a pile, the total number of mahjong tiles 200 counted based on the sensing signal from the stacking counting sensor 29 can be divided by 2 to simultaneously determine the number of piles of mahjong tiles 200.

[0139] The stacking device 20 also includes a stacking control unit 291, which is connected to the stacking counting sensor 29 and the stacking motor 24 respectively. Based on the counting result of the stacking counting sensor 29, the control unit sends a corresponding stacking control signal to the stacking motor 24. The stacking motor 24 receives the stacking control signal and drives the stacking drive wheel 23 to rotate, thereby causing the stacking block drive rod 22 to swing up and down. Through its movable end, the drive rod drives the stacking block 21 to move up and down, and causes the card-pulling drive block 27 to intermittently drive the card-pulling block 25 to move back and forth, thereby realizing the stacking and card-pulling to form multiple stacks of cards.

[0140] In this embodiment, in the first card-playing mode, the control device 108 generates a card-playing completion sensing signal when the card-playing counting sensor 29 counts to k stacks. In the second card-playing mode, the control device 108 generates a first card-playing completion sensing signal when the card-playing counting sensor 29 counts to m stacks, and generates a second card-playing completion sensing signal when the count reaches n stacks.

[0141] Figure 24 This is a structural block diagram of the card-pushing control unit in this embodiment.

[0142] like Figure 24 As shown, the card pushing device 40 also includes a card pushing control unit 47, which is connected to the card pushing motor 44, the first card pushing sensor 461, the second card pushing sensor 462, and the card storage sensor 465 respectively. Based on the sensing results of the first card pushing sensor 461 and the second card pushing sensor 462 on the card pushing sensing part, and the sensing results of the card storage sensor 465 on the mahjong tiles at the card outlet 312D of the card slot 312, the card pushing motor 44 is controlled by the control device 108.

[0143] Specifically, the card-pushing control unit 47 receives the aforementioned card-stacking completion signal, or the first batch card-stacking completion signal and the second batch card-stacking completion signal, according to the currently set play mode. In both play modes, the card-pushing control unit 47 receives the aforementioned stop card sensing signal, first card-pushing position sensing signal, second card-pushing position sensing signal, card-raising sensing signal, and card-raising completion sensing signal. It then controls the card-pushing motor 44 based on the received signals.

[0144] In the first card-adding mode, each card-adding mechanism 101 adds 18 stacks of cards to the table at a time. Upon receiving a card-adding completion signal in the first card-adding mode, it indicates that the card-adding device 20 has stacked 18 stacks of cards and placed them in the card slot 312, with the last stack located at the card inlet 312C. When the card-adding control unit 47 receives the card-adding completion signal in the first card-adding mode, it controls the card-pushing motor 44 to start, causing the card-pushing motor 44 to drive the card-pushing rotating seat 42 and the card-pushing arm 43 to rotate, thus moving the card-pushing head 431 within the card slot 312 and pushing the stacked 18 stacks of cards towards the card outlet 312D. During the card-pushing process, as mentioned above, the upper-layer cards have a larger movement path, and the first card-pushing surface used to push the upper-layer cards is positioned further back in the pushing direction; therefore, the upper-layer cards will always remain slightly behind the lower-layer cards.

[0145] In the second card-dealing mode, each card-dealing mechanism 101 first places the first batch of m stacks of cards as the starting hand for each user on the table, and then places the second batch of n stacks of cards on the table for the user to draw cards. Upon receiving the first stack completion signal in the second card-dealing mode, it indicates that the stacking device 20 has stacked the first batch of m stacks of cards and placed them in the card slot 312, with the last stack located at the card inlet 312C. When the card-pushing control unit 47 receives the first stack completion signal in the second card-dealing mode, it controls the card-pushing motor 44 to start, causing the card-pushing head 431 to push the first batch of m stacks of cards. Upon receiving the second stack completion signal in the second card-dealing mode, it indicates that the stacking device 20 has stacked the second batch of n stacks of cards and placed them in the card slot 312, with the last stack located at the card inlet 312C. When the card-pushing control unit 47 receives the second stack completion signal in the second card-dealing mode, it controls the card-pushing motor 44 to start, causing the card-pushing head 431 to push the second batch of n stacks of cards.

[0146] In both gameplay modes, receiving a stop signal indicates that during the card pushing process, the first stack of cards has been pushed to the card outlet 312D. When the card pushing control unit 47 receives the stop signal, it controls the card pushing motor 44 to stop, so that the first stack of cards stops at the card outlet 312D, waiting for the card lifting device 50, thus preventing the cards from being pushed out of the card slot 312.

[0147] In both gameplay modes, receiving the second push position sensor signal indicates that the push head 431 has reached the waiting position P2 at the card-raising entrance. This means that during the push process, the last stack of cards has been pushed onto the support plate 52, and these stacks have been completely pushed onto the support plate 52 and the table (the support plate 52 can hold 6-8 stacks; when pushing 12 or 18 stacks, the first few stacks will be directly pushed onto the table). Upon receiving the second push position sensor signal, the push control unit 47 stops the push motor 44, causing the push head 431 to stop at position P2. This prevents interference between the push head 431 and the rotation of the support plate 52, and also limits the stacks pushed onto the support plate 52, preventing them from sliding off and causing an incorrect number of cards to be raised.

[0148] In both gameplay modes, receiving the first push card position sensing signal indicates that the push card head 431 has reached the card stacking entrance waiting position P1, meaning that the push card head 431 has been reset after one push card is completed. When the push card control unit 47 receives the first push card position sensing signal, it controls the push card motor 44 to stop, so that the push card head 431 stops at position P1 to avoid interference between the push card head 431 and the card stacking and card pushing action of the card stacking device 20. Furthermore, position P1 is very close to the card inlet 312C, so that when the card stacking is completed and the push card action needs to be started, the push card head 431 can quickly move to the card inlet 312C to start the push card action.

[0149] In both game modes, receiving the card-raising sensor signal indicates that the receiving end of the support plate 52 has descended into position and can receive the card stacks. When the card-raising sensor signal is received, the card-pushing control unit 47 controls the card-pushing motor 44 to start, so that the card-pushing head 431 further pushes the card stacks that have been pushed to the card outlet 312D onto the support plate 52.

[0150] In both game modes, receiving the tile-raising completion sensing signal indicates that the receiving end of the support plate 52 has risen to the correct position, meaning all the mahjong tiles have been raised to the table surface, and the support plate 52 will no longer interfere with the rotation of the tile-pushing arm 43. Upon receiving the tile-raising completion sensing signal, the tile-pushing control unit 47 controls the tile-pushing motor 44 to start, causing the tile-pushing head 431 to move from position P2 towards position P1, thereby resetting the tile-pushing arm 43.

[0151] In this embodiment, when the user needs to shuffle the mahjong tiles 200, he / she can input the shuffling command and the game mode setting command through the operation panel 1021. The control device 108 controls the operation panel mechanism 102 to descend and controls the shuffling mechanism 107 to start shuffling. At this time, the user can push the scattered mahjong tiles on the table 105 into the gap for shuffling.

[0152] After the shuffling is completed (for example, the shuffling time can be set), the control device 108 can control the card feeding device 10 to feed cards and control the card stacking device 20 to stack cards according to the game mode set by the user. At the same time, the card pushing control unit 47 controls the card pushing head 431 to reach the card stacking entrance waiting position.

[0153] During the stacking process, the card supply device 108 can determine how many stacks of tiles have entered the tile slot 312 based on the sensing signal from the stacking counting sensor 29. Once the required number of stacks is reached (e.g., the number required according to the current game mode), the card supply device 108 controls the stacking device 20 to pause or stop stacking, and simultaneously controls the pushing device 40 to push tiles. Subsequently, if the storage sensor 465 senses a mahjong tile for the first time, it indicates that the pushing device 40 has pushed the stack into place, and the first stack has reached the end of the tile slot 312. At this time, the control device 108 can directly control the lifting device 50 to lift tiles, or wait a while and control the lifting device 50 to lift tiles when the user wants to add tiles, based on the tile-adding command input by the user from the operation panel 1021.

[0154] During the above process, once the specified number of stacks of cards are completed, the card-pushing operation can begin. The following will explain the card-pushing action and corresponding controls in the two game modes.

[0155] Figure 25 This is a flowchart of the card-pushing device pushing cards in the first card-playing mode in this embodiment.

[0156] The first card-dealing mode involves placing all the King hands (e.g., 18 hands) onto the table at once. For example... Figure 25 As shown, in the first card-issuing mode, the process of the card-pushing device 40 cooperating with other devices to complete the card-pushing operation includes the following steps:

[0157] Step S1-1: The card pushing control unit 47 receives the card stacking completion signal.

[0158] In steps S1-2, the push card control unit 47 determines whether the 18 stacks of cards have been stacked according to the stacking completion signal (i.e., whether the signal has been received). When it is determined that the cards have been stacked, the push card motor 44 is started. The push card motor 44 drives the push card rotating seat 42 and the push card arm 43 to rotate synchronously. The push card head 431 pushes the stacks of cards in the card slot 312 toward the card outlet 312D.

[0159] In steps S1-3, the push control unit 47 receives the stop-card sensing signal.

[0160] In steps S1-4, the push card control unit 47 determines whether the first stack of 18 stacks of cards has been pushed to the card outlet 312D based on the card stop sensing signal. When the determination is yes, it controls the push card motor 44 to stop, so that the first stack of cards stops at the card outlet 312D to wait for the card lifting device 50 to cooperate.

[0161] In steps S1-5, the push card control unit 47 receives the card raising sensing signal.

[0162] In steps S1-6, the pusher control unit 47 determines whether the receiving end of the support plate 52 has descended to the correct position based on the lifting sensor signal, i.e. whether the support plate 52 can receive the card block. When the determination is yes, the pusher motor 44 is started. The pusher motor 44 drives the pusher rotating seat 42 and the pusher arm 43 to rotate synchronously. The pusher head 431 pushes the card block in the card slot 312 further toward the support plate 52.

[0163] In steps S1-7, the push card control unit 47 receives the second push card position sensing signal.

[0164] In steps S1-8, the push card control unit 47 determines, based on the second push card position sensing signal, whether the last card in the 18 card stacks has been pushed onto the support plate 52, that is, whether all the card stacks have been pushed onto the support plate 52 and the table. When the determination is yes, the push card motor 44 is stopped, so that the push card head 431 stops at the card lifting entrance waiting position P2 to prevent interference with the support plate 52, and limits the card stacks pushed onto the support plate 52.

[0165] In steps S1-9, the push card control unit 47 receives the card raising completion sensing signal.

[0166] In steps S1-10, the pusher control unit 47 determines whether the receiving end of the carrier plate 52 has risen to the correct position based on the card lifting completion sensing signal, i.e., the card lifting action has been completed. When the determination is yes, it controls the pusher motor 44 to start, so that the pusher head 431 is reset.

[0167] In step S1-11, the push card control unit 47 receives the first push card position sensing signal.

[0168] In steps S1-12, the pusher control unit 47 determines whether the pusher head 431 has moved to the stacking tray entrance waiting position P1 based on the first pusher position sensing signal, that is, whether the pusher arm 43 has been reset. When the determination is yes, the pusher motor 44 is stopped, so that the pusher head 431 stops at the stacking tray entrance waiting position P1.

[0169] By following the steps above, a complete card pushing and resetting action is completed in the first card-playing mode.

[0170] Figure 26This is a flowchart of the card-pushing device pushing cards in the second card-playing mode in this embodiment. The left side of the diagram shows the process of pushing a batch of m stacks of cards, and the right side shows the process of pushing a second batch of n stacks of cards. Since the corresponding control and device actions in each batch are basically the same as the above process, therefore... Figure 26 The Chinese text is presented in a simplified manner.

[0171] The second card-dealing mode involves initially dealing m stacks of cards (e.g., 6 stacks) as the user's starting hand, followed by n stacks of cards (e.g., 12 stacks) for the user to draw. For example... Figure 26 As shown, in the second card-issuing mode, the process of the card-pushing device 40 cooperating with other devices to complete the card-pushing operation includes the following steps:

[0172] In step S2-1, the push card control unit 47 receives the first stack of cards completion signal.

[0173] In step S2-2, the push card control unit 47 determines whether the first batch of 6 stacks of cards has been stacked according to the first stack completion signal. When the determination is yes, it controls the push card motor 44 to start, so that the push card head 431 pushes the first batch of 6 stacks of cards toward the card outlet 312D.

[0174] In step S2-3, the push control unit 47 receives the stop-card sensing signal.

[0175] In step S2-4, the push card control unit 47 determines whether the first stack of 6 stacks of cards in the first batch has reached the card outlet 312D based on the stop card sensing signal. If the determination is yes, the push card motor 44 is controlled to stop.

[0176] In step S2-5, the push card control unit 47 receives the card raising sensing signal.

[0177] In steps S2-6, the pusher control unit 47 determines whether the receiving end of the support plate 52 has descended into place based on the lifting sensor signal. If the determination is yes, it controls the pusher motor 44 to start and push the first batch of 6 blocks of cards onto the support plate 52.

[0178] In step S2-7, the push card control unit 47 receives the second push card position sensing signal.

[0179] In steps S2-8, the pusher control unit 47 determines whether the last block of the first batch of 6 blocks has been pushed onto the support plate 52 based on the second pusher position sensing signal, and controls the pusher motor 44 to stop when the determination is yes.

[0180] In step S2-9, the push card control unit 47 receives the card raising completion sensing signal.

[0181] In step S2-10, the pusher control unit 47 determines whether the receiving end of the carrier plate 52 has risen to the correct position based on the pusher completion sensing signal. If the determination is correct, it controls the pusher motor 44 to start, so that the pusher head 431 is reset.

[0182] In step S2-11, the push card control unit 47 receives the first push card position sensing signal.

[0183] In step S2-12, the pusher control unit 47 determines whether the pusher head 431 has moved to the waiting position P1 at the stacking entrance based on the first pusher position sensing signal, and controls the pusher motor 44 to stop when the determination is yes.

[0184] In step S2-13, the push card control unit 47 receives the second stacking card completion signal.

[0185] In step S2-14, the push card control unit 47 determines whether the second batch of 12 stacks of cards has been stacked according to the second stack completion signal. When the determination is yes, it controls the push card motor 44 to start, so that the push card head 431 pushes the second batch of 12 stacks of cards toward the card outlet 312D.

[0186] In practical use, mahjong machines typically use two sets of mahjong tiles. The user plays with one set on the table, while the machine internally stacks and pushes the other set. Generally, the user spends a considerable amount of time playing with one set, significantly longer than the total time required to stack two sets of tiles. Therefore, in an alternative solution, steps S2-11 to S-14 can be omitted. That is, the first push-tile position sensing signal and the second stack completion signal are not received. Instead, after the push-tile head 431 resets, the push-tile motor 44 continues to run, directly pushing the second batch of n stacks of tiles to the dispensing port 312D to await tile placement. This simplifies the control process.

[0187] In step S2-15, the push control unit 47 receives the stop signal.

[0188] In step S2-16, the push card control unit 47 determines whether the first stack of 12 stacks of cards in the second batch has reached the card outlet 312D based on the stop card sensing signal. If the determination is yes, the push card motor 44 is controlled to stop.

[0189] In step S2-17, the push card control unit 47 receives the card raising sensing signal.

[0190] In step S2-18, the push card control unit 47 determines whether the receiving end of the support plate 52 has descended into place based on the card lifting sensing signal. When the determination is yes, it controls the push card motor 44 to start and push the second batch of 12 stacks of cards onto the support plate 52 and the table.

[0191] In step S2-19, the push card control unit 47 receives the second push card position sensing signal.

[0192] In step S2-20, the pusher control unit 47 determines whether the last block of the second batch of 12 blocks has been pushed onto the support plate 52 based on the second pusher position sensing signal, and controls the pusher motor 44 to stop when the determination is yes.

[0193] In step S2-21, the push card control unit 47 receives the card raising completion sensing signal.

[0194] In step S2-22, the pusher control unit 47 determines whether the receiving end of the carrier plate 52 has risen to the correct position based on the pusher completion sensing signal. If the determination is correct, it controls the pusher motor 44 to start, so that the pusher head 431 is reset.

[0195] In step S2-23, the push card control unit 47 receives the first push card position sensing signal.

[0196] In steps S2-24, the pusher control unit 47 determines whether the pusher head 431 has moved to the stacking tray entrance waiting position P1 based on the first pusher position sensing signal, and controls the pusher motor 44 to stop when the determination is yes.

[0197] By following the steps above, you can complete the pushing action of two batches of cards with different numbers of stacks in sequence.

[0198] Figure 27 This is a structural block diagram of the card-raising device in this embodiment.

[0199] like Figure 27 As shown, the card-lifting device 50 also includes a card-lifting control unit 501, which is connected to the swing motor 53, the load sensor, the first swing sensor 61, and the second swing sensor 62. The swing motor 53 receives the card-lifting control signal from the card-lifting control unit 501, and operates according to the card-lifting control signal to drive the rotation of the swing drive wheel 56, thereby realizing the actions of waiting, card-lifting, and resetting the load plate 52.

[0200] The role and effect of the embodiments

[0201] According to the card-pushing device, card-feeding mechanism, and mahjong machine provided in this embodiment, the card-pushing device includes a card-pushing rotating base, a card-pushing arm, and a card-pushing sensing component. The card-pushing sensing component includes a card-pushing sensor mounted on the card-pushing rotating base and a first card-pushing sensor and a second card-pushing sensor correspondingly mounted below the card-pushing rotating base. These two sensors are respectively set at a predetermined card-stacking entrance waiting position before the card slot and a predetermined card-lifting entrance sensing position before the card outlet. Therefore, by sensing the signals from these two sensors, the current position of the card-pushing head of the card-pushing arm can be accurately determined. Then, the card-pushing motor can be controlled according to the sensing signals, so that the card-pushing head can wait outside the card slot when the card-stacking device is stacking cards, without interfering with it; and the card-pushing head can wait at the card outlet after pushing multiple stacks of cards onto the card-lifting device, without interfering with the card-lifting device. It can also prevent the stacks of cards on the card-lifting device from sliding down, resulting in a shortage of mahjong tiles on the table.

[0202] In this embodiment, the card pushing sensing component also includes a card storage sensor. The card pushing control unit also controls the card pushing motor to stop when the card storage sensor first senses the card stack during the card pushing process, so that several stacks of cards can be stopped in front of the card dispensing opening. The first stack of cards is located at the card dispensing opening, waiting for the card lifting device to complete its action, without accidentally pushing the card stack into the card slot, which would result in an incorrect number of cards during subsequent gameplay.

[0203] Furthermore, the pusher control unit also receives a lifting sensor signal from the lifting device and controls the pusher motor to start when it receives the signal. This allows the pusher to start pushing the card blocks onto the support plate only when the receiving end of the support plate is detected to be in position, ensuring that the card blocks are pushed onto the support plate without falling off. The pusher can start pushing as soon as the support plate is in position, making the timing more compact. Subsequently, the pusher motor is stopped when the second pusher position sensor signal is received, ensuring that a specified number of card blocks are pushed onto the support plate and acting as a limit to prevent the card blocks from sliding off the support plate. The pusher head and the receiving end of the support plate will not interfere with each other during subsequent swinging movements.

[0204] Furthermore, the card pushing control unit also receives a card lifting completion sensing signal from the card lifting device, and controls the motor to start when the signal is received. This allows the card pushing arm to start its reset action only when the receiving end of the carrier plate is detected to be in place, so that the actions of the card pushing arm and the carrier plate will not interfere with each other.

[0205] Furthermore, when the user sets the first card-laying mode, the card-pushing control unit controls the card-pushing motor to start when it receives the card-stacking completion signal from the card-stacking device. This allows the card-pushing action to begin only after the corresponding number of card stacks have been stacked, without interfering with the action of the card-stacking device, and can push a specified number of mahjong tiles onto the table.

[0206] When the user sets the second game mode, the card pushing control unit controls the card pushing motor to start after receiving the first card stacking completion signal from the card stacking device. After the card pushing arm resets, after the user operates to place cards again, and after receiving the second card stacking completion signal, the control unit controls the card pushing motor to start again. This allows two batches of different numbers of card stacks to be pushed onto the table in two separate operations, ensuring that the number of card stacks in each batch is accurate, thus realizing this specific game mode.

[0207] Furthermore, since the card-pushing sensing part is a magnet, and the first and second card-pushing sensors are corresponding magnetic induction sensors, the card-pushing sensing part is located in the through hole on the edge of the card-pushing rotating seat. Therefore, only when the card-pushing sensing part is rotated to approximately directly below the first and second card-pushing sensors can one of these two sensors sense the card-pushing sensing part through the lower opening of the through hole, thereby accurately positioning the position of the card-pushing arm. Thus, by controlling the card-pushing motor based on the sensing signals of these two card-pushing sensors, the card-pushing head at the end of the card-pushing arm can be accurately stopped at the corresponding predetermined position.

[0208] Furthermore, since there is an angle of 40° to 50° between the line connecting the two predetermined positions and the center of the card-pushing rotating seat, and the two card-pushing sensors are respectively set on the two connecting lines and corresponding to the edge of the card-pushing rotating seat, sufficient spacing can be provided between the two card-pushing sensors in a limited space. The two card-pushing sensors will not interfere with each other or cause false triggering, which can make the positioning control of the card-pushing head more accurate.

[0209] Furthermore, since the predetermined card stacking entrance waiting position is in front of the card slot inlet, the card pusher head can be paused at this position based on the sensing signal of the first card pusher sensor, without interfering with the operation of the card stacking device, and can quickly start the card pushing action after card stacking and card pushing are completed; in addition, the card pusher arm rotates and extends under the guidance of a rotating groove, which has a recessed part next to the card stacking entrance waiting position, so that the card pusher head can also be retracted at this position, further avoiding interference with other components on both sides.

[0210] Furthermore, since the predetermined waiting position for raising tiles is in front of the tile outlet of the tile slot, the tile pusher head can be paused at this position, i.e., paused on the outside of one end of the support plate, based on the sensing signal of the second tile pusher. This not only prevents it from interfering with the rotation and tile raising action of the support plate, but also limits the number of tiles pushed onto the support plate, preventing them from sliding off the support plate and affecting the number of mahjong tiles raised to the table.

[0211] Furthermore, one side of the pusher head has two non-coplanar pusher surfaces, a first pusher surface and a second pusher surface, and the tile slot has a lower tile slot and an upper tile slot with a relatively larger radius of motion. Therefore, through the cooperation of the first pusher surface with the upper tile slot and the second pusher surface with the lower tile slot, the lower layer of mahjong tiles in the tile slot can always be pushed onto the table while maintaining a slightly lagging motion behind the upper layer of mahjong tiles. Since the friction between the lower layer of mahjong tiles and the table is significantly greater than the friction between the two layers of mahjong tiles, this design allows the upper layer of mahjong tiles to slide a relatively longer distance after the two layers of mahjong tiles are on the table, thus aligning the two layers of mahjong tiles on the table. This provides a better viewing experience for the user, eliminates the need for manual aligning of the tiles, and is more convenient.

[0212] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate specific implementations of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the scope of the above embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are only for illustrating the principles of the present invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed.

[0213] For example, in the above embodiment, both the first card-raising sensor 58 and the second card-raising sensor 59 are magnets, and the first swing sensor 61 and the second swing sensor 62 are corresponding magnetic induction sensors. However, in this invention, as long as the corresponding cooperation between the first swing sensor 61 and the first card-raising sensor 58 and the corresponding cooperation between the second swing sensor 62 and the second card-raising sensor 59 can be achieved, other sensors and sensing parts can also be used. For example, the first card-raising sensor 58 and the second card-raising sensor 59 can be set as concave holes and / or protruding pillars with a specific depth or height, and the first swing sensor 61 and the second swing sensor 62 can both be set as distance sensors. The sensing part is determined to have reached the bottom based on the sensed distance signal.

[0214] Similarly, in the above embodiment, the card-pushing sensing part is a magnet, and the first card-pushing sensor 461 and the second card-pushing sensor 462 are corresponding magnetic induction sensors. In an alternative, other sensors and sensing parts can also be used. For example, a card-pushing sensor can be set on one side edge of the card-pushing rotating seat 42 (for example, set at the position of the sensing part mounting hole 425 shown in the figure above). The card-pushing sensor is set as a distance sensor. The first card-pushing sensing part and the second card-pushing sensing part are correspondingly set below the card-pushing rotating seat 42 (for example, set at the positions of the first card-pushing sensor 461 and the second card-pushing sensor 462 shown in the figure above, respectively). For example, the first card-pushing sensing part and the second card-pushing sensing part can be set as concave holes and / or protruding pillars with a specific depth or height, and the positions of the first card-pushing sensing part and the second card-pushing sensing part are respectively set to correspond to the card stacking entrance waiting position P1 and the card lifting entrance waiting position P2. The card-pushing sensor (distance sensor) can determine whether to reach the card-pushing sensing part and which card-pushing sensing part to reach based on the sensed distance. When the card pusher 42 rotates until the card pusher sensor on it senses the first card pusher sensor, the card pusher head 431 is positioned at the card stacking entrance waiting position P1; when the card pusher 42 rotates until the card pusher sensor on it senses the second card pusher sensor, the card pusher head 431 is positioned at the card lifting entrance waiting position P2, and the card pusher motor 44 is controlled according to the corresponding sensing signal. This achieves a similar technical effect.

[0215] In the above embodiments, the first card-dealing mode involves placing k stacks of cards onto the table at once, where k represents 18 stacks. In alternative solutions, k can be any other number, or it can be set by the user via the control panel. Similarly, the first card-dealing mode involves placing m stacks of cards in the first batch and n stacks in the second batch, where m is 6 and n is 12. In alternative solutions, m and n can be any other number, or they can be set by the user via the control panel. Furthermore, other game modes can be added similarly.

Claims

1. A card-pushing device, installed in the card-feeding mechanism of a mahjong machine, for pushing the temporarily stored card stacks in the card slot of the card-feeding mechanism, the card-feeding mechanism further comprising a card-stacking device installed at the card inlet of the card slot and a card-lifting device installed near the card outlet of the card slot, characterized in that, include: The card pusher motor, the card pusher rotating seat and the card pusher arm that rotate synchronously under the drive of the card pusher motor, the card pusher main gear, the card pusher sensing component, and the card pusher control unit are all located at the output end of the card pusher motor. One end of the card-pushing arm is a card-pushing head used to push cards in the card slot. The card-pushing sensing assembly includes a card-pushing sensing unit disposed on the card-pushing rotating base, a first card-pushing sensor and a second card-pushing sensor disposed correspondingly below the card-pushing rotating base. The first card-pushing sensor corresponds to a predetermined card-stacking entrance waiting position in front of the card-inlet, and the second card-pushing sensor corresponds to a predetermined card-lifting entrance waiting position in front of the card-outlet. The card-pushing control unit is connected to the card-pushing motor, the first card-pushing sensor, and the second card-pushing sensor. It determines whether the card-pushing head has reached the card-stacking entrance waiting position based on the sensing signal corresponding to the first card-pushing sensor, and determines whether the card-pushing head has reached the card-raising entrance waiting position based on the sensing signal corresponding to the second card-pushing sensor. Based on the determination results, it controls the card-pushing motor. The lower part of the card-pushing rotating seat forms a card-pushing driven gear, which meshes with the card-pushing main gear. One edge of the card-pushing rotating seat has a sensor mounting hole. The card-pushing sensor is a magnet and is installed in the mounting hole of the sensor. Both the first and second card push sensors are magnetic induction sensors. The first card pusher sensor is relatively closer to the card inlet, and the line connecting the first card pusher sensor and the card pusher from the center of the gear is the first connecting line. The second card-pushing sensor is relatively closer to the card-dispensing opening, and the line connecting the second card-pushing sensor and the card-pushing sensor from the center of the gear is the second connection line. The angle between the first line and the second line is 40°~50°.

2. The card-pushing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: in, When the first card pusher sensor detects the card pusher sensing unit, it generates a first card pusher position sensing signal; when the second card pusher sensor detects the card pusher sensing unit, it generates a second card pusher position sensing signal. When the pusher receives the first pusher position sensing signal or the second pusher position sensing signal, the pusher control unit controls the pusher motor to stop, thereby stopping the pusher head at the stacking entrance waiting position or the lifting entrance waiting position.

3. The card-pushing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: in, The card-pushing sensing component also includes a card-storage sensor, which is located at the card-dispensing opening. The card-storage sensor generates a stop-play signal when it detects the first stack of mahjong tiles. When the card-pushing control unit receives the stop card sensing signal, it controls the card-pushing motor to stop so as to wait for the card-raising device to operate.

4. The card-pushing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: in, The card pusher head is L-shaped and has a vertical card pusher rod, which is used to move along the card slot when the card pusher arm rotates to push the card. The card slot includes an upper card slot and a lower card slot located below and connected to the upper card slot. The movement radius of the upper card slot is greater than the movement radius of the lower card slot. The upper part of one side of the pusher arm has a first pusher surface corresponding to the upper card slot, and the lower part of the same side of the pusher arm has a second pusher surface corresponding to the lower card slot. In the width direction of the pusher arm, the second pusher surface is located further outward relative to the first pusher surface.

5. A card-pushing device, installed in the card-feeding mechanism of a mahjong machine, for pushing the temporarily stored card stacks in the card slot of the card-feeding mechanism, the card-feeding mechanism further comprising a card-stacking device installed at the card inlet of the card slot and a card-lifting device installed near the card outlet of the card slot, characterized in that, include: The card pusher motor, the card pusher rotating base and card pusher arm that rotate synchronously under the drive of the card pusher motor, the card pusher sensing component, and the card pusher control unit. One end of the card-pushing arm is a card-pushing head used to push cards in the card slot. The card-pushing sensing assembly includes a card-pushing sensor mounted on the card-pushing rotating base, a first card-pushing sensing part, and a second card-pushing sensing part correspondingly mounted below the card-pushing rotating base. The first card-pushing sensing part corresponds to a predetermined card-stacking entrance waiting position in front of the card-inlet, and the second card-pushing sensing part corresponds to a predetermined card-lifting entrance waiting position in front of the card-outlet. The card-pushing control unit is connected to the card-pushing motor and the card-pushing sensor. It determines whether the card-pushing head has reached the card-stacking entrance waiting position based on the sensing signal corresponding to the first card-pushing sensor, and determines whether the card-pushing head has reached the card-raising entrance waiting position based on the sensing signal corresponding to the second card-pushing sensor. Based on the determination results, it controls the card-pushing motor. The first push card sensing part is one of a protruding post and a concave hole, the second push card sensing part is the other of a protruding post and a concave hole, and the push card sensor is a distance sensor.

6. A card-adding mechanism, installed in a mahjong machine with a card-shuffling mechanism, characterized in that, include: A tile feeding device is used to pick up and feed mahjong tiles from a shuffling mechanism. A stacking device is used to stack the mahjong tiles supplied by the tile supply device to form a tile stack; A storage device for storing the card holders; A card-pushing device for pushing and conveying the card stacks; and The card-lifting device is used to raise the delivered card stacks to the tabletop. The card-pushing device is the card-pushing device according to any one of claims 1-5.

7. The vehicle registration agency according to claim 6, characterized in that: in, The tile stacking device has a tile stacking counting sensor for counting the mahjong tiles stacked and entering the tile slot, and generating a stacking completion sensing signal when the count reaches a predetermined number. When the card-pushing control unit receives the card-stacking completion sensing signal, it controls the card-pushing motor to start, thereby causing the card-pushing head to push the card blocks in the card slot toward the card outlet.

8. The vehicle registration agency according to claim 6, characterized in that: in, The card-raising device has a swingable support plate for raising the card stacks onto the tabletop, and a swing sensor corresponding to the support plate. One end of the support plate is a receiving end for receiving the delivered card blocks. The swing sensor generates a card-raising sensing signal when it senses the receiving end has descended to the correct position, and generates a card-raising completion sensing signal when it senses the receiving end has risen to the correct position. When the card-pushing control unit receives the card-lifting sensing signal, it controls the card-pushing motor to start, thereby causing the card-pushing head to push the card block in the card slot onto the support plate; when it receives the card-lifting completion sensing signal, it controls the card-pushing motor to start, thereby causing the card-pushing head to reset.

9. A mahjong machine, characterized in that, include: A shuffling mechanism used to shuffle mahjong tiles; Multiple issuing mechanisms are used to issue the shuffled mahjong tiles. The registration agency is the same as any one of claims 6-8.

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